


The same old tale

by GenieInaBottlexx



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alice is over protective, Betty Cooper Needs a Hug, Betty is Persephone, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Jughead Jones Needs a Hug, Jughead is Hades, Protective Jughead Jones, References to Ancient Greek Religion & Lore, Smut, Soft Betty Cooper, Soft Jughead Jones
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-16
Updated: 2020-07-16
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:00:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,514
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25309396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GenieInaBottlexx/pseuds/GenieInaBottlexx
Summary: The ancient greek mythology of Hades and Persephone; Starring Jughead Jones as the broody, dark Hades and Betty Cooper as the naive, sweet Persephone.A story of how the God of the underworld abducted sweet Persephone, carrying her far away from her mother and her misery and how their love blossomed
Relationships: Betty Cooper/Jughead Jones, Hades/Persephone
Comments: 10
Kudos: 19





	The same old tale

At the very end of the world, where no light passed and darkness prevailed through every passing second, rendering the beings uncertain of the concept of day and night, Hades strolled along the river Acheron. With his hands crossed behind his back, he observed, as Charron stood on the banks of the river and collected coins from souls that had just arrived. His dirty black cloak swayed a little as he counted the coins and allowed the souls to get onboard his boat one by one. Once everyone had found a place, the son of Erebus and Nyx began to ferry the boat towards the gates of the underworld.

Hades watched the boat turn a corner and disappear out of his sight, before deciding to go back to his throne room. It was just as he had turned around, that faint whisps of white smoke began to emerge out of thin air. The volume growing and expanding until a handsome man with strawberry blond hair and feet encased in winged sandals stood before him.

“Lord of the underworld.” The man smiled at him and gave him a slight bow as Hades looked at him stoically.

“Hermes. To what do I owe this surprise visit?” He knew it had to be something important. No one dared to step foot into his realm unless it was necessary. Fear or perhaps disgust of seeing the end of mortal life and punishments meted out to the souls or of being so close to Tartrus, generally kept the other guards away from the underworld.

The blonde man looked at the lord of the underworld and took a step back. Despite being a god himself, Hermes often found himself to be intimidated by the presence of the other god. It was perhaps the perpetually dark clothing draping his tall frame, the head full of obsidian hair that feel over his forehead in gentle curls, the powerful aura that surrounded him wherever he went, or the piercing way in which his dark blue eyes looked right through anyone’s soul, that made people think twice before speaking something to him.

“ Your brother wishes for you to be present at Olympus. He has an important matter to discuss with you. Kindly see him.”

Hades twitched in irritation at that.

“If it’s so important, why can’t Zeus make come here?” It wasn’t that he wanted his brother to enter his realm, but it nevertheless irked him that Zeus believed that he had the power to command him like that.

He watched as Hermes’ eyes darted away from him for a second before landing back on him. “ You know how it is…he never wants to leave Olympus. And this place… it’s too close to Tartarus. Makes him uncomfortable.”

The excuse made the Lord of the Underworld scoff immediately. Of course it was close to Tartarus. But it wasn’t like anyone was throwing Zeus into the dark pits with the Titans. This part of the world was under the control of Hades and unless and until he wished otherwise, his beloved brother would be perfectly alright there. But then again, everyone was well aware of how insecure and paranoid Zeus could be, so his refusal to descent to the underworld should not have come as a surprise. At least not after all this time.

Giving Hermes a sharp look, he decided to just let the other god leave. The sooner he got over this, the better.

“You can tell him that I’ll be there soon.”

The messenger of the Gods glanced at him uncertainly. “ I beg your pardon. But when you mean soon, you mean…” He trailed off, waiting for Hades to clear his doubt.”

“Soon, Hermes.” And with that, the message was conveyed. Hermes wasn’t going to get a definite answer and he knew better than to push any further. Giving the other God a curt nod, he again transformed into smoke and disappeared from the underworld. He was going to pass on the message to Zeus as it was. The rest was for the brothers to decide upon.

Watching the smoke evaporate into thin air, Hades released the groan he had held in. Unlike his brother, who loved to avoid his duties and engage in countless frivolities, he took his job seriously. Even though it was a job he had held for thousands of years, he preferred to stay below the surface of the earth and make sure that everything was in check. He hoped that Zeus actually had something important for him. It was not going to pleasant if he was being invited to Olympus to indulge the sky God in a game of dice like the previous time.

As Hal sat on his throne, he knew that Hades would appear before him at any moment. Hermes had delivered the message from his brother and knowing the dark lord, he’d want to get done with meeting him as soon as possible.

As he waited, he conjured up a mirror and gawked at the current look he was sporting. The face of a middle aged, blonde haired man stared right back at him. It had all been Hera’s doing. He shouldn’t have angered her. He rued the moment he had blurted out to his wife, that her new hairstyle made her look like an ostrich. A moment after that comment, his beautiful, muscular body had been transformed into that of a fifty year old man with a mild pot belly. His long golden hair having lost the sheen and length in an instant. That had been a few decades back. He would remain this way for a few more decades, till Hera decided that the length of his suffering was sufficient to sate her fury.

Sighing, he was about to make the mirror disappear, when he felt a sudden shift in the atmosphere. The air got thicker and a rumble went through the clouds, before his brother walked into his throne room with the beginnings of a scowl on his face. Knowing that he had to put up his best behavior for their discussion to go as he had planned, he got up and walked to meet his brother halfway. A wide smile in place.

“Juggie! You came. It’s so good to see you after so long, brother.” He watched as Jughead rolled his eyes at the fake enthusiasm. His own greeting made him cringe a little. Maybe he needed to tone down the positivity a notch.

“Sure, Hal. I totally believe that. Your attempts to see me once in a few hundred years surely convey your sentiment.”

He was always sarcastic, that one. Hal winced at the comment. It wasn’t his fault that his brother was a recluse and lived far, far away from Olympus. Then he backtracked on his thoughts when he remembered that Poseidon had made a similar comment on him. Maybe he really did need to make more effort in meeting with family.

Zeus would have gone down the rabbit hole of those thoughts, before he remembered that he had an important matter to discuss. Giving his brother a curt smile, he requested him to follow him to his private chamber, and as the two Gods took a seat across each other on the comfortable thrones he had conjured up for them, he decided to get straight to the point.

“Listen, Jug. I need your help. I wouldn’t have asked you if I saw a better option, but I don’t think I could find a better God to go to with this.”

Hades arched an eyebrow and waited for Hal to continue. His brother was known for buttering people up when it suited him, but he could see the seriousness in his eyes. He meant what he said.

“ I want you to wed Persephone.” Hal paused at that. Waiting for the request to sink in.

Jughead’s eyes widened at the strange request. Of all the things he had thought Hal would come up with, he had definitely not expected that. He had perhaps expected help with some mishap Zeus had caused or in plotting the doom of some god, but definitely not this.

Clearing his throat, he muttered a “Why?” Wondering as to why he was being requested to marry a Goddess out of nowhere. Leave alone Zeus’ beloved daughter.

“It’s Alice. She’s driving everyone crazy. I mean, Betty is a few hundred years old. She’s a grown up in a sense and needs freedom. But Alice just won’t let her be. She’s always smothering her and babying her. I’m worried for her, Jug. And I let it be for so long because I thought there would be an end to it, but there isn’t. I went to visit her a few weeks back, and my baby seemed so lonely and sad. She’s not seen the joys of the world or been remotely independent or ever had a lover and under Alice’s shadows, she never will. I just want her to be happy.”

Hal was clearly distressed, and Jughead could see the pain in his eyes. His brother was generally self centered and conniving, but when it came to his off-springs, he cared. Especially when it came to Betty. Ever since the girl had been born to Alice and him, Hal had doted on the little Goddess. Getting her unique gifts and visiting her way often than he visited anyone else. His concern for his daughter didn’t surprise Jughead much.

Alice on the other hand, although equally doting and loving towards her daughter, had let her controlling behavior get the best of her. She’d practically kept their daughter hidden away from the rest of Olympus, supervising everything the girl ever did. Their daughter wasn’t allowed to interact with any male Gods or beings other than her father and was usually found in the company of nymphs and other Goddesses. Rumour had it, that the Goddess of harvest wished to keep her daughter an untouched maiden forever, trying to live under the illusion of her remaining her little girl forever.

Jughead understood that it was the behavior of a lunatic to control their offspring’s life like that and he felt bad for the young Goddess who had to go through such a thing, and forcefully live out her existence and curb her needs in order to fulfill her mother’s unjust whims. But what he didn’t understand was why his brother wished for him to do something about Persephone’s condition, and so he voiced his query.

"Why are you making this request of me, though?"

“Honestly, because every other Olympian God is unworthy of her. All of them are perverts, disloyal and manipulative and cannot be trusted with my daughter. She's too naive to deal with all that and while you may live far away from us and your realm isn’t really to my taste, I at least know you. You’re broody and dry, but you’re faithful and take your responsibilities seriously. Something I cannot say for even one of the other Gods. You’re good for her.”

In all honesty, Hades had not expected what came out of Zeus’s mouth. His brother had always made it known that the underworld was not to his liking and two didn’t have the friendliest realations. So for him to say nice things and to trust him with marrying his daughter, came as a shock to him. It also made him doubt for a moment, that this was all a ploy and Zeus was up to something. 

Eyeing his brother skeptically, Jughead decided that he needed to go back home and think this through, check if Hal was planning something else and using this as a distraction for him.

“I appreciate your trust in me, Hal. But I need to think this over. Can’t decide everything suddenly. I’ll get back to you with my decision.” Hal nodded in understanding. Hades wasn’t really known to take lovers, and taking a wife was something the God would definitely need time to think about. He watched as his brother got up, bade him farewell, and then disappeared from his sight after being engulfed in a swirl of black and red smoke.

Sitting on his throne, Jughead ran his fingers through cerberus’s soft fur. The giant, three headed Hell hound that guarded the gates of the underworld, having reduced to a mere puppy on the orders of his lord. It was something Hades did when he wished for some mute company while he sat and thought about various things. It had been days, or maybe months since Zeus had made the proposition to him, one couldn’t really tell. Time having lost all meaning in the lives of gods. After some sleuthing on his part, Jughead had found that Zeus had sincerely made the request and there had been no ulterior motive behind it and since then, the Lord of the underworld had found himself mulling over the offer more often than he would have thought. 

He was pretty satisfied with the way he led his life. He didn’t participate in petty politics like any of the other gods and avoided interacting with other Gods for the very same reason, preferring to stay in his own realm and rarely venturing out of it. He didn’t particularly enjoy the company of other Goddesses either, who were more often than not, petty and exceedingly egotistical. Take for example the way Athena had transformed the poor mortal Arachne, merely because the latter happened to have more talent at weaving than the Goddess of Wisdom and Handicraft. So much for wisdom. It was ironic and pitiable.

But if truth be told, he did find himself wondering what it would be like, to have a companion. Having seen the way his brothers cheated on their spouses incessantly and generally led a turbulent married life, he had never been in favour of himself getting married. He was certain he did not want to end up in a position such as theirs and had therefore remained unattached for so long, taking care of any carnal desires with some succubus, which was once in a hundred or so years, or more often, by his own hand.

However, since Hal had mentioned Persephone, he had been thinking of how it would be to have someone next to him at most times. Someone to support him, to talk to him like an equal. Someone he would sleep next to, even if sleep wasn’t something any god required. Someone he could truly call _his_. And if Betty was anything like Hal had mentioned, he could probably hope that she wouldn’t be vain and spiteful. _Would she be kind and sweet?_

So, it was as Cerberus the puppy nipped at his fingers, that Hades decided that it wouldn’t hurt to see for himself. While he couldn’t go up to the young Goddess and meet her directly, not with the way Demeter eyed her daughter like a Hawk, he could quietly observe her from below the ground and put his mind to rest. See if this was something he wanted to get into.

**Author's Note:**

> I've wanted to write a Hades/Persephone story for so long, so here it is.  
> It won't be a very long story, only about 3-4 chapters.  
> I understand that the actual tale is extremely misogynistic and Persephone is given 0 agency to decide her fate, but while I don't want to change the basic framework of the story, I will try to give her more agency and to not make Hades a complete, controlling douchebag.  
> I hope you like the story :)


End file.
